Living by the waste spill

Published: Monday, March 25, 2013 at 09:37 PM.

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All the way up until 1999, the Joyners were drinking their well water; the well still stands in the yard. It wasn’t until Hurricane Floyd completely flooded the well and house that the family hooked up to county water.

But since the early 1990s, Joyner, her husband and their grandson have had respiratory and stomach problems, she said. Her husband, Offie “Buddy” Joyner, died from liver cancer in December.

“The doctor said it was the fastest growing cancer he ever saw,” she said. “He didn’t smoke or drink.”

Her 26-year-old grandson played under the sprayer on one occasion when he was young. All three drank the water from the well. At one point they were told not to drink the water unless they poured bleach in it. Then Buddy poured bleach down into the well and let it stand awhile, she said.

“That scared me, too,” Joyner said. “I didn’t want to drink bleach.”

She continues to have respiratory problems, such as drainage and a choking feeling — similar to what her husband experienced. She said she believes it’s from the constant stench in the air.

“I can hardly stand it,” she said about the smell. “I run back in the house. I can’t stand it.”

STANTONSBURG — Ever since a hog farm set up operations in Greene County in March 1991, the Joyner family across the road has been living with the stench and slimy waterway that wraps around their property.

Joyner was referring to the pinkish-red hue the water takes on when bacteria in fecal matter reach high numbers.

Stantonsburg Farm, owned by Murphy Family Ventures, received a notice of violation Thursday for a spill the farm says occurred March 15.

Results from testing done by Larry Baldwin of the Waterkeeper Alliance have indicated the fecal coliform by the Joyner’s home was eight times above the required limit three days after the farm pumped the effluence back into the lagoon.

Joyner said she saw the deep pink-colored water March 14. It’s one of three times she said she’s seen the water turn that dark hue, but the slime is there more often.

“I saw it on a lot of days,” she said about the slime. “We just got used to it.”

All the way up until 1999, the Joyners were drinking their well water; the well still stands in the yard. It wasn’t until Hurricane Floyd completely flooded the well and house that the family hooked up to county water.

But since the early 1990s, Joyner, her husband and their grandson have had respiratory and stomach problems, she said. Her husband, Offie “Buddy” Joyner, died from liver cancer in December.

“The doctor said it was the fastest growing cancer he ever saw,” she said. “He didn’t smoke or drink.”

Her 26-year-old grandson played under the sprayer on one occasion when he was young. All three drank the water from the well. At one point they were told not to drink the water unless they poured bleach in it. Then Buddy poured bleach down into the well and let it stand awhile, she said.

“That scared me, too,” Joyner said. “I didn’t want to drink bleach.”

She continues to have respiratory problems, such as drainage and a choking feeling — similar to what her husband experienced. She said she believes it’s from the constant stench in the air.

“I can hardly stand it,” she said about the smell. “I run back in the house. I can’t stand it.”

Joyner lives in the country on Sand Pit Road near the Wilson border. She said she enjoys being outside, but can’t because of the smell.

“The whole month of March has been terrible,” she said.

Across the road is the Stantonsburg Farm with a waterway leading out past the farm, across the road and right next to and around the back of Joyner’s house. From there, it goes across a field to the Contentnea Creek about a mile or so away.

David May, aquifer protection regional supervisor with the Division of Water Quality, said he took water samples and is investigating the spill. The results and response from the farm are pending.

“Right now, I would consider the case still open,” he said, “— that it’s still under investigation.”

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.